This invention relates to boat mounted hunting blinds and more particularly to a collapsible frame for such blinds having a universal mount adapted for mounting and dismounting rapidly on various type of small boats.
Although it is well known in the art to provide hunting blinds for stationary and boat mounted use, the known blinds are difficult to set up and disassemble. Permanent type blinds have numerous disadvantages, not the least of which is that it makes navigation of the boat difficult. One such rigid blind is illustrated in Sutherland U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,722. This problem has been recognized in the prior art and numerous solutions have been proposed.
In the known proposals, as exemplified in Gillen, et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,145; Hinz U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,247 and Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,253, the frame of the blind is attached to the boat by means requiring a physical modification of the boat such as the drilling of holes for receiving bolts. Moreover, except for Gillen, et al, the structure of the prior art proposals are not widely adaptable to different boats without requiring modification. In Gillen, et al a set of hinge plates must be fixedly secured to the gunwale of the boat. The hinge plates pivotably carry the structural framing of the blind which is held in position by stop pins in fixed locations and the plates are such that they would not be easily angularly adjustable to different types of gunwales on the various types of boats. Gunwales, which are at the top of the sides of the boat, have various shapes and configurations for boats of various designs. In some cases they are flat, while for other boats they may have a circular bead or other cross-sectional configuration. Moreover, the sides and thus the gunwales of some boats are upright and planar while on other boats they may be inclined relative to the port and starboard side of the boat and may pitch in the longitudinal direction toward the bow and/or the stern of the boat.